The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-08-07
CUSTOMS AMONG SAILORS.

Mariners Hold to Ancient Beliefs
How wide the difference is between
the shipboard life OF the mariners of
the past and that OF the present race
of seamen may be collected by look
ing into few of the customs which
are now extinct as tho timbers OF
Noah's ark. In the seventeenth aud
eighteenth centuries il WAS practice
on board Italian aud Spanish, and
possibly Portuguese ships, for the
sailors on crossing the equator, to
erect canopy on the forecastle,
under which three seamen, aOsuTdly
dressed, seated themselves. one was
called the president, and the others
Judges. They started first with try
ing the captain, then the officers, ana
finally the passengers. a sailor dress
ed up as clerk read the indictments,
after which the Judges pro-
nouuccd sentence of death Careri,
In hi. VOYAGE rodud the world, eY-
plains the purpose ofthis tomtoolery.
"Thc sentence of death" say he, was
immediately bought oil with money,
chocolate, sugar, biscuit, flash, sweet
meats. wine and the like. The best OF
it WINS that he who did not pay I'M
mediatrly, or give good security, WAS
aid on with ropes end at the Least
sign given by the president Tafpau-
In" Apparently heavier punish
ments than ropes ending attending
the poverty or contumacy of the con-
yictcd for the same author tells of u
passenger who was drowned on board
gallcon through being keelhAuled
for refusing to conform to this singu
lar marine custom. Tho sport-it
sport it can be called-a ted all day,
aud then at shutdown the fines or for
Icits were divided among the sailors
pUCKING MEN oE CROSSING THE EQuA-
TOR,
1t is possible that out of this old sea
/ Joke rose the stupid and irritating
practice OF ducking men on their
crossing the equator for tho first
time. This imbeciIla piece OF horse
play WAS wonderfully popular among
seamen down to quite recent days
| don't think Jack ever saw much hui
NOR himself in the mere dressing W
as. Neptune a, d acting Jack Pudding
in the Waist; what he relished wa,
the privilege, by prescription, OF lord
ing IL over the captain and officers fol
u few hours, and tarring and soaking
the people to whom at other times h,
would have to pull his torelock, with
the whole length of the ship between
him and their nobility. Another curl
Gus custom was 10 be found on boarl
Dutch vessels. " hen ship entered
the thirty ninth parallel, every one,
writes John Nleuhotf (l6iO) "of wha
quality or degree 30 ever, that has no
passed there before, is obliged TO b
baptized or redeem himself from il
, He that is to be baptil Il has a rop
, tied round his middle wherewith Ii
is drawn up Il the very top Of tn
, byrwsprit, and from thence tire
, times successfully tumbied into tn
water A man was at liberty to ge
, another man to take his place by pay
, ing him. Plenty of money and otbc
, good things must have been earne
by sailors out of this custom, for on
map conceive that n nervous pas
senger would pay handsomcl
to escape so formidable ducEing o.
the tall bowsprits of those days prom
: ttsed, while on the other hand ses
: oned Mariner would look upon sue
sousings as mere child's play-thin
no mosge of it than q man in
regatta now thinks of walking upo
. a greasy boom to loose the pig i'll tn
sack at the end oft, The practiC
however, eventually led to such riot